5200+ or 5000+ CPU

[stryoftheyearxx]

Hello there, I plan on upgrading from my 939 to AM2 in 2 weeks. Im on a very strict budget so the max I can spend is 250ish for just MB CPU and RAM everything else I have from previous build.

I was wondering should I get the AMD ATHLON X2 5200+($77) or just the 5000+($66)?
I'm trying to use as little money as possible so if that $11 dollar difference isn't really a performance increase should I go with the 5000+?

Also do you think my Antec 500W power supply is still good for a new CPU MB and RAM?

The whole build will be:
MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

Rosewill RCX-Z940-SL 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

AMD ATHLON X2 5000+ or 5200+ - Retail

2x7600GT in SLI(enough video power for me)

1 CD DRIVE

1 DVD Drive

1 SATA WD 160GB HD

3x Case Fans

Thanks for your help =]

 

[nawfal]

i dont like 2 x 7600

i would get 1 3850

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

everything else is from my previous build that I already have. If it doesnt say retail at the end is what Im buying now for 250. I don't wanna use more money upgrading video card. Sorry if i didn't explain that.

 

[Nik_I]

see if you could maybe find a 5000+ black edition. that could easily OC to 3Ghz, which is very nice

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

yea saw the black edition but newegg doenst have it and im not really an overclocker. u have any idea if my 500w is enough for my new MB CPU and RAM?

 

[juvealert]

hey buddy

both the 5000+ and 5200+ are available in 65w

heres a link comparing the 5000+ (hope the link will work)
http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUSideBySide.aspx?id=40&id=41&id=42&id=45


5200+
http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUSideBySide.aspx?id=38&id=39

regarding the powersupply wattage heres an online power supply calculator
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[vonbose]

Your PSU should be powerful enough, just make sure you have all the right CPU power connectors. Old mobos used 4 pin and new use 6 and 8 pin. It seems the MSI board may need to 8 pin cpu connector to run SLI.

Also get the 5000 black or the 5400 black. It's so easy to overclock you will kick yourself if you don't get it.

Simply go into the bios and change the factory set CPU multiplier to 15x instead of 13x or whatevr it comes with. and BAM! your at 3 gigs on stock voltage, using stock cooler. 15.5 w/ a slight voltage increase and aftermarket cooler yields 3.2 gigs easy.

 

[jaywalker256]

I agree with vonbose. get a black edition and overclock that sucker

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

thanks for the links!! the calculator was really helpful. it says I have enough power. and yes i know the two CPUS come in 65w but was wondering for an extra 11 bucks is the 5200+ worth it or just the 5000+ good enough?

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

Your PSU should be powerful enough, just make sure you have all the right CPU power connectors. Old mobos used 4 pin and new use 6 and 8 pin. It seems the MSI board may need to 8 pin cpu connector to run SLI.

Also get the 5000 black or the 5400 black. It's so easy to overclock you will kick yourself if you don't get it.

Simply go into the bios and change the factory set CPU multiplier to 15x instead of 13x or whatevr it comes with. and BAM! your at 3 gigs on stock voltage, using stock cooler. 15.5 w/ a slight voltage increase and aftermarket cooler yields 3.2 gigs easy.

thanks for the CPU connector tip. I have a 4 pin on my power supply. do you happen to know where it says on the MSI motherboard that it needs a 6 or 8 pins one and is there a adapter that I can buy if they do use a 6 or 8 pin connector?

 

[vonbose]

I just looked at the picture on newegg and it shows an 8 pin power connector, however can be used by plugging the 4 pin into one half of the 8 pin connector and in fact the picture shows half of the 8 pin covered (it looks like).

In one of the reviews a guy is saying he had to use an 8 pin power connector to get his SLI to work. Who knows if this is true or not?

Perhaps you could use one 7600gt untill you can sell them both and get a 8800gt or 9600gt or a single card solution.

Or you could go for this biostar board that is a single card solution with a 4 pin CPU connector:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138117

 

[MrMeth]

I know you said money was tight but if i were you i would look for a 5000+ black edition and overclock it to the speed you want , im not sure how much they retail for in your location check it out!!! Dont bother getting the more expensive one cause you could overclock the 5000+ to that speed no problem.

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

I just looked at the picture on newegg and it shows an 8 pin power connector, however can be used by plugging the 4 pin into one half of the 8 pin connector and in fact the picture shows half of the 8 pin covered (it looks like).

In one of the reviews a guy is saying he had to use an 8 pin power connector to get his SLI to work. Who knows if this is true or not?

Perhaps you could use one 7600gt untill you can sell them both and get a 8800gt or 9600gt or a single card solution.

Or you could go for this biostar board that is a single card solution with a 4 pin CPU connector:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138117

yea it does seem like its covered. but do u have any idea if theres an adapter for a 4 pin to a 8 pin?
thanks alot

 

[Wisecracker]

Your SLI'ed 7600GTs will pull around 75w. A portion of that power will come from the PCIe connector from the power supply.

The other portion of the power comes from the PCIe slot itself on the motherboard. The motherboard must also be capable of supplying up to 125w in some cases for the cpu. That's why the 8-pin power connector on the mobo can be critical in some cases.

Note the molex connector on the mobo, too. PCI Express 2 can supply up to 75w from the slot itself IIRC. (PCIe Gen1 was like 45w or something)

In you case with a 65w cpu (and a 75w total SLI) I think you should be safe

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

thanks for the answer. and i found out the answer with me only having a 4 pin CPU connector and the MB as a 8 pin. I can use the 4 pin. The only purpose of the 8 pin is just for high performance CPUs like the Quad cores Phenom series. Since im only running a dual core ill be safe. Thanks for all the help everyone =]

 

[cusideabelincoln]

I'm just going to throw this out there as another option for your $250 budget: Why not go Intel if you are replacing the mobo, RAM, and CPU?

Here's one solution:

$110 AR MSI P7N SLI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130175

$90 Intel Pentium E2220 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116070

$?? Whatever DDR2 RAM you want

Even at stock speeds, the Intel E2220 is just as fast as the 5000+ or 5200+. However, the E2220 can overclock extremely well. Using the stock cooler you should be able to hit at least 3.0 GHz.

But if you want to support AMD, I can't blame you as, clock for clock, the Athlon X2s perform similarly to the new Pentium Dual Cores.

The MSI P7N motherboard also seems to offer more support for current Intel processors than the MSI K9N2 does for current AM2 processors. This might be useful if you want to ugprade to a quad-core or faster dual-core.

But even above all the recommendations so far, why are you upgrading from socket 939? It already sounds like you have a pretty decent system (using an SLI motherboard). If your processor is fairly weak, you could always find a socket 939 4800+, 4600+, 4400+, 4200+, or FX-60 and get performance similar to a socket AM2 5000+.

So what current CPU and amount of RAM do you have?

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

right now I have a 3700+ San Diego and 1 Gb of RAM. See I've already considered just upgrading CPU but the 939 are literally gone. I cannot find one that is dual core for 939. I've check ebay and forums before and since the 939 are "rare" now they go for around $130ish. So I just though why bother sticking to a old technology and wasting another $130 dollars when just about and extra 100 bucks I can go into a more future proof system. And for the Intel I've considered going Intel but AMD has always been good to me( not really a fanboy cuz I've actually had a Intel before and considered buying another) so I just decided to go AMD.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Yeh I understand. A 4200+ 939 processor goes for about $130, which is $80 more than a similarly-performing AM2 processor. Of course you're spending (about $40) more on an AM2 platform since you have to buy new RAM, so I see why you're upgrading.

An AM2 or even Intel platform will not only provide better performance than what you currently have, but also give you some longevity if you want to upgrade again.

However I tend to agree other users in this thread: 7600GTs in SLI is kind of a waste. You would probably get good enough performance out of a single 7600GT, or you could pick up an 8800GS, HD3850, or 9600GT and get more performance than 2 7600GTs. So in this regard, you shouldn't limit yourself to just SLI-compatible motherboards. You should just sell one of your 7600GTs and get the best motherboard for whatever processor you want.

In the case of AMD, here's what I'd recommend:

Foxcon 790GX mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186150
or
Asus 780G mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131325

Athlon 5400+ BE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289
or
Athlon 5000+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103211

I don't think the 5200+ would be worth the extra $10 in your case. You can also forego getting a 5000+ BE because I doubt you'll find one cheaper than a 5400+ BE.

 

[caamsa]

IMO I would get the 4600+ 2.4 GHZ 65W. It is only a little slower than the cpu's that you are considering. It is the older Windsor 90nm but is an excellent cpu. Plus it is only $58.00.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103062

 

[reconviperone1]

Everyone keeps pressing u for more video power after u said u have enough, i agree with them, but it sounds like u may be a casual gamer and in that case the 7600gt works fine. It played evething i needed, i went from a a64 3200, to a a x2 5600(awesome processor), to a q6600 with the same 7600gt, played bioshock and evrything else i played just fine. That x2 5000 will be a kick in the nuts for you, it cheap, buts its a great processor, viva la amd!

 

[ZOldDude]

AMD 5000+ BE (unlocked CPU) are online for $69

Corsair DDR-800 2 X 1GB TwinPack are online for $29

PC Power & Cooling 610 (49 Amps @ 12 Volts constant rated) is onsale online with free shipping for $80 (NewEgg).

 

[iggybeans]

How about answering his question?!
Buy the 5000+ . It's at a good price right now.
And, BTW, I own a 5000+BE. Yes its easy to overclock (with the adjustable multiplier), but he's not interested in overclocking.
Besides, the standard 5000+ overclocks pretty well too. I've heard of plenty of people running them at 20% over.

 

[stryoftheyearxx]

lol thanks for answering. yea i decided on the 5000+

 

[ZOldDude]

How about answering his question?!
Buy the 5000+ . It's at a good price right now.
And, BTW, I own a 5000+BE. Yes its easy to overclock (with the adjustable multiplier), but he's not interested in overclocking.
Besides, the standard 5000+ overclocks pretty well too. I've heard of plenty of people running them at 20% over.

A 20% OC is nothing in my mind,yet it is the best that can be done given what you started with.

Check out the 50% OC's for the 7 units on my old (3 year old build,not my newer one)LAN in my forum profile. Everything is on stock volts as well.
Viva skt 939!

 

[caamsa]

Take a look at the two reviews of the 5000+ Brisbane.

http://xtreview.com/review167.htm


http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2889